Foam Maker Growing Its Children Toy Market
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowFor more than 65 years, Indianapolis-based Foamcraft Inc. has distributed foam and latex to furniture, marine and recreational vehicle makers around the Midwest. Even though much of their product is used for seating in grown-up toys, like RVs, the company is also finding success in the children’s toy market.
The family-owned company got into the kids’ furniture business about 10 years ago with its Foamnasium line.
“We create foam playsets that inspire active and imaginative play. So that could be anything. It can be couches, it could be big wedges, circles, anything that just allows a kid to be able to build things,” Foamnasium Chief Marketing Officer Nathan Elliott told Around INdiana reporter Mary-Rachel Redman.
Elliott says the creation of Foamnasium was sparked by requests from churches and daycares wanting foam play equipment. They published their line-up of foam products in daycare catalogs. Then in 2013, everything changed.
“Amazon had a rep at one of these trade shows who approached us and just asked if we would put our stuff on Amazon, which we of course did,” said Elliott, who says online retailer Wayfair came along shortly thereafter.
Elliott says the company is shipping about 100 units a day from its Greenfield plant. He says demand is there, “we could do more if we could produce more and that’s what’s been so exciting.”